Positives: Possesses a squatty build conducive to playing inside linebacker. Excellent diagnosis skills. Quickly reads run and has heavy hands to jolt blockers and disengage to make the tackle in the hole for limited gain. Good awareness in cverage once he gets there. Keeps his head on a swivel and qickly closes once the ball is released Steady open-field tackler who wraps securely and brings a heavy hit, though he has only average overall explosiveness. High-effort player who will make it tough on coaches to cut him. Top intangibles and effort for special teams duty. Dual-sport athlete while at Montana. Also participated as a thrower on the Grizzlies' track and field team... Team captain.

Negatives: Limited athlete who could prove a bit of a schematic 'tweener in the NFL. Possesses short arms which could limit his ability to disengage from blocks as effectively against bigger, stronger athletes than he saw in the Big Sky... Lacks the straight-line speed to beat NFL backs to the sideline. While alert in coverage, is a bit stiff, struggling to change directions to remain in the hip poket of receivers, likely making him at best a two-down performer in the NFL.

Career Notes

McSurdy will start at the "mike" linebacker spot for the second year in a row. He is Montana's leading returning tackler. He has played in 42 games and has 156 career tackles. Career Highs: He had 17 tackles against Montana State last season. He had nine unassisted tackles at Cal Poly last year. He had an interception at Sacramento State in 2009.

2011 Season

McSurdy was named to The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS All-America first team after a senior season in which he was the Big Sky Conference's defensive player of the year. The 6-foot-1, 242-pounder from Boise, Idaho, McSurdy was named to several All-American teams after making a team-high 131 tackles for the 11-3 Griz. He had 9.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and two interceptions - he took his last 61 yards for a touchdown in UM's 31-28 FCS semifinal loss at Sam Houston State.

2010 Season

Started all 11 games for the Griz and had a team-high 112 tackles. He was fourth on the team with 7.5 tackles for loss. He was a second team All-Big Sky Conference selection. He had 11 or more tackles in six games. He was an all-league academic team pick for the third year in a row, and maintains a 3.27 GPA.

2009 Season

Played in all 15 contests and was the Grizzlies' 13th (tie) leading tackler with 32 stops. He placed fourth in the 2010 Big Sky Conference track and field meet in the discus with a career-best throw of 161-2 1/4 and was sixth in the shot put with a career-long toss of 53-1.

2008 Season

He played in all 16 games and was the 19th-ranked tackler as a "true" freshman with 18 stops. He qualified in the discus and shot put in the 2009 Big Sky track and field meet.

High School

He earned four letters in track and three in football at Borah High School. He was an all-state pick at linebacker and at tight end as a senior when he had 65 tackles (55 solos), along with 22 catches for 232 yards and four touchdowns. He was a three-time all-conference choice at linebacker. He was a team captain in football as a junior and senior. He was the state champion in the shot put and discus as a junior and was tabbed "Thrower of the Year." He placed in the state shot put three times. Was team captain in football and track his junior and senior years. His prep teams won four state track titles, and he was the "Thrower of the Year" all four of those seasons. He set high school records in the bench press (390) and squat (515). His high school football coach was Vince Mann.

Personal

His parents are Patrick and Nancy McSurdy of Boise. His major is communication studies. Birth date: Feb. 24, 1990.

08/15/14 - LB Caleb McSurdy was signed by the Browns Thursday (Aug. 14). McSurdy is 6-1, 241-pounds and officially in his second NFL season out of Montana. Originally drafted by Dallas in the seventh round in 2012, McSurdy spent his rookie season on injured reserve and part of the 2013 season on the Rams' practice squad.